Preh Supplies 'Center Stack' for 2010 Chevrolet Equinox

NOVI, Mich., Oct. 6, 2009 -- Preh, a leading German supplier of automotive driver controls, sensors and electronic control units, developed the "center stack" for the 2010 MY Chevrolet Equinox, now in series production. The system integrates all the control functions of the center console in a compact way, and contains in addition to the controls for radio, navigation and climate, the switches for the safety functions. For GM this becomes advantageous, since they can drop complex interface management, which is always necessary when different suppliers develop control systems for various functions.

The control system designated by Chevrolet designers as a "floating" center stack is singled out by its color and attractive optics and draws the eye of the viewer to the center of the cockpit. The floating impression is generated by a combination of ambient lighting and a special lacquer.

For the ambient lighting, Preh developed a new flexible light guide, used for the first time in a control system. This light guide frames the center stack panel almost completely and adds to this a corona of ice blue. The surface of the system was provided with an appealing optical depth effect, achieved by using a special 3D-effect lacquer in a refined silver color.

According to GM guidelines, the construction of the overall system was designed not only very robustly, but Preh engineers also brought into play their many years of know-how from the development of control systems for various premium vehicle manufacturers. For example, the longstanding technology of integrating the optical encoder directly on the printed circuit board is used. As opposed to traditional encoders, this construction principle has the advantage of allowing individual haptic adjustment of the rotary knobs, since the function and haptics are independently configurable.

Preh manufactures the center stack in seven different versions in its facility in Monterrey, Mexico.

About Preh

Preh was founded in Germany in 1919. As a full-service supplier, Preh works directly with major automakers in the development and production of complete driver control systems, sensors and electronic control units.

The company maintains in-house capabilities for plastics injection molding, precision mechanics, light-pipe design, electronics hardware, surface finishing, laser etching and software development.

With sales of $448.1 million in 2008, Preh employs over 2,000 people located in Germany, Portugal, Romania, France, Mexico, China and the U.S. More than 90 percent of Preh's annual revenue comes from its automotive business. Preh's U.S. customer service center is located in Novi, Mich.